Prevalence and role of anticardiolipin antibodies in Crohn disease

OBJECTIVES: Anticardiolipin antibodies belong to the group of antiphospholid antibodies, and may be seen in association with endothelial damage and recurrent vascular thrombosis. The aim of our study was to determine in patients with Crohn's disease the frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies, and to correlate their presence with clinical activity and treatment of the disease. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-eight sera from patients with Crohn's disease and 118 from age-matched controls were tested for IgG anticardiolipin antibodies. In the Crohn's disease group, we determined whether the patients had a past history of vascular thrombosis, a clinically active intestinal disease, or a current immunosuppressive therapy (steroids or azathioprine). RESULTS: Anticardiolipin antibodies were found significantly more often in patients with Crohn's disease than in controls: 11.0% versus 2.5%, P < 0.02. Three patients with Crohn's disease had a past history of vascular thrombosis, but none of them had anticardiolipin antibodies. The presence of anticardiolipin antibodies was not correlated with the fact that patients had a clinically active disease (P = 0.77), or a current immunosuppressive therapy at the time of the serological test (P = 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significantly high prevalence of patients with anticardiolipin antibodies during Crohn's disease. The positivity of the test does not seem to be correlated to the existence of a past history of vascular thrombosis, nor to the clinical activity of the disease.     

In vivo roles of receptor tyrosine kinases and cytokine receptors in early thymocyte development

The early phases of T-cell development require both cell-cell interactions and soluble factors provided by stromal cells within the thymic microenvironment. Still, the precise nature of the signals delivered in vivo by cytokines (resulting in survival, proliferation or differentiation) remains unclear. Recent studies using mice deficient in cytokines or in their receptors have helped to identify essential signaling pathways required for the development of intrathymic precursors to mature alpha beta and gamma delta T cells. In addition, cytokine requirements for the development of natural killer cells were revealed in such mutants. The results obtained demonstrate that the development of all classes of lymphocytes (natural killer, gamma delta T cells and alpha beta T cells) is cytokine dependent, but the specific requirements differ for each lineage.     

Experimental study of the interaction range and association rate of surface-attached cadherin 11

We describe a method allowing quantitative determination of the interaction range and association rate of individual surface-attached molecules. Spherical beads (1.4 micro(m) radius) were coated with recombinant outer domains of the newly described classical type II cadherin 11, a cell adhesion molecule. Beads were driven along cadherin-coated surfaces with a hydrodynamic force of approximately 1 pN, i.e., much less than the mechanical strength of many ligand-receptor bonds. Spheres displayed periods of slow motion interspersed with arrests of various duration. Particle position was monitored with 50 Hz frequency and 0.025 micro(m) accuracy. Nearly 1 million positions were recorded and processed. Comparison between experimental and computer-simulated trajectories suggested that velocity fluctuations might be related quantitatively to Brownian motion perpendicular to the surface. The expected amplitude of this motion was of order of 100 nm. Theoretical analysis of the relationship between sphere acceleration and velocity allowed simultaneous determination of the wall shear rate and van der Waals attraction between spheres and surface. The Hamaker constant was estimated at 2.9 x 10(-23) J. The frequency of bond formation was then determined as a function of sphere velocity. Experimental data were consistent with the view that the rate of association between a pair of adhesion molecules was approximately 1.2 x 10(-3) s-1 and the interaction range was approximately 10 nm. It is concluded that the presented methodology allows sensitive measurement of sphere-to-surface interactions (with approximately 10 fN sensitivity) as well as the effective range and rate of bond formation between individual adhesion molecules.     

Stiffness of trabecular bone of the tibial plateau in patients with rheumatoid arthritis of the knee

Stiffness of subchondral proximal tibial trabecular bone is a factor in the stability of prostheses implanted into that bone. The stiffness of trabecular bone in osteoarthritis (OA) has been documented. Trabecular bone in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is osteopenic in numerous sites and morphologically abnormal in the proximal tibia. Reliable data on proximal tibial bone in RA are lacking, although 1 study failed to identify abnormalities. The purposes of this study were (1) to document the stiffness of the proximal tibial cancellous bone in patients with RA, (2) to determine the effect of angular deformity on bone stiffness in rheumatoid patients, and (3) to compare RA stiffness values with those in published reports for OA. Fifteen tibial plateau were obtained from patients with RA during surgery. Each plateau was horizontally seated in a mold and covered with cement. The plateau was divided into 6 regions, which were used to facilitate comparison between specimens and the existing literature. Indentation tests were conducted with a 4-mm-diameter cylindrical indentor controlled by an MTS machine. The indentor descended at a rate of 2 mm/min to a maximum depth of 1.0 mm; load and displacement data were digitally recorded. Stiffness was calculated from the slope of the linear region of the curve using best-fit linear regression. Where varus deformity was present, stiffness in the medial plateau was higher overall than for the other compartment; whereas in the case of valgus deformity, stiffness of the lateral side was significantly higher (P < .05 for each observation). In comparison to older normal specimens, both the medial compartment of the varus RA specimens (P < .01) and the posterolateral compartment of the valgus RA specimens (P < .01) had significantly lower stiffness. Comparison with OA specimens showed that in varus RA, the posteromedial region had significantly lower stiffness than in varus OA at the same site (P < .01). In valgus RA, the lateral region had significantly lower stiffness than in valgus OA at the same site (P < .01). The mean stiffness ratio of the valgus RA was significantly (P < .01) altered from normal, and for the varus RA, it was significantly (P < .01) different from normal posteriorly. The stiffness ratios for the varus RA were significantly (P < .01) different from those for varus OA; there was no difference between valgus RA and valgus OA. It is concluded that RA affected bone has significantly lower stiffness than normal and osteoarthritic bone. The loaded plateau is stiffer than the unloaded plateau in angular deformity, but is still less stiff than normal bone and osteoarthritic plateaus with corresponding deformities.     

Renal proliferative and phenotypic changes in rats with two-kidney, one-clip Goldblatt hypertension

Previous research in this laboratory has shown that preweaning and postweaning juvenile meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, can acquire a spatial task, the Morris water-maze task. The present study examined the influence of age of juvenile acquisition ("before weaning" (BW; Day 10 and 15 after birth) and "after weaning" (AW; Day 20 and 25 after birth)) of a spatial task on subsequent re-acquisition of the same hidden-platform spatial water-maze task. This study also compared sex differences and litter sex-ratio effects on reacquisition performance. Fifteen litters of adults were re-tested in the same water maze 6 weeks after being initially tested as juveniles. All analyses were conducted using a covariate that removed the group differences in the original task performance. Adult voles from female-biased litters, that had previously learned the task at an older juvenile age (AW), reacquired the same task faster than adults that had previously learned the task at a younger juvenile age (BW). In the adult BW group there was also a significant litter sex-ratio effect such that voles born into a female-biased litter re-acquired the task more slowly than did voles born into a male-biased litter. There were no significant sex or litter sex-ratio effects on spatial learning in the AW group. These results show that adult meadow voles can require a spatial task more quickly if they initially learned the task at an older juvenile age, suggestive of a period of infantile amnesia. In addition, these results indicate that the litter sex-ratio can affect adult spatial performance, suggesting that the relative amount of androgens in utero may influence the development of sexually-dimorphic spatial ability in adulthood.     

Therapeutic strategies in acute myocardial infarction. Results of STIM 93 registry

A registry was set up by the national college of cardiologists practicing in general hospitals in February 1993. The data concerned mode of admission, demographic details, initial clinical and haemodynamic evaluation and hospital outcome. Special attention was given to the electrocardiographic changes before and, in patients receiving thrombolytic therapy, after treatment. An analysis of predictive factors for mortality was performed both in the group of patients "revascularised" and in the group treated conventionally. One thousand and twenty three cases from 327 centres were analysed. There were 1292 men and 531 women, with an average age of 67.9 years. The average time interval from onset of symptoms to hospital admission was 5 h 30 min, 56.8% of patients arriving within 6 hours. 36.4% of the population underwent thrombolysis or angioplasty, 75% of patients under 75 years of age admitted before the 5th hours underwent a procedure of myocardial revascularisation. The hospital mortality was 14%, 8.7% in those revascularised and 17% in patients treated conventionally. Factors predictive of mortality were age, female gender, Killip Classes III or IV, systolic blood pressure of less than 100 mmHg, heart rate of more than 100/min and contraindications of thrombolysis. The maximum ST depression, the sum of ST depression, the sum of ST elevation and depression, were also significant predictive factors of a fatal hospital outcome in the whole population group and in patients treated conventionally. In the reperfused group, only the initial sum of ST elevation and depression was predictive of mortality: 120 minutes after the beginning of thrombolysis, the sum of ST elevations and of elevations and depressions was predictive of twice the mortality when the values exceeded 0.6 mv and 1.4 mv respectively.     

Clinical, morphologic and immunophenotypic data based on 10 cases of canine muco-cutaneous epidermotropic T-lymphoma (analogous to Mycosis Funcgo?de). Important of an animal model of spontaneous pathology

Our serie of ten canine cutaneous epitheliotropic T-cell lymphomas (CTCL), is found in old dogs, belonging mainly to the Boxer breed. Site on the mucous membranes (especially buccal), the muco-cutaneous junctions, their clinical expression is polymorphous. Lesions, follow on one after another (erythema, plaques, nodules) and are diversely associated in a given animal, the borders between the different stages often being difficult to establish. Adenopathies noted at the time of the diagnosis or during the course of the condition are accompanied by an involvement of the blood and organs (analogous to Sézary's disease). The progression of the disease can be very rapid in the buccal forms, which are generally aggressive, and in cases of violent, uncontrollable pruritus, which may be disturbing for the owner (with requests for euthanasia). The neoplastic infiltrate is constituted of small lymphocytes with hyperchromatic, convoluted nuclei (incipient stages), then large cells with a "histiocytic" appearance for the nodules. Epitheliotropism, which is maximal for the infiltrated plaque stage, shows up either in the form of a flux of totally epitheliotropic isolated cells (Ketron-Goodman type) or in that of Pautrier abscess-like collections. THe veterinary literature is in agreement that the CTCL cell expresses CD3, but two recent studies are in contradiction as regards its membership of helper or cytotoxic/suppressor populations. For our 10 cases, all the cells of lymphocytic morphology were, without exception, CD3+ and CD45+, irrespective of their situation within the epithelium or the chorion. The CD3+ cells in the epithelium were systematically CD8+, CD4- (confirming P.F. Moore's observations), expressing CD5 in a variable way, and, mostly, the Ki-67 nuclear proliferation Ag. The CD3+ cells of the chorion were exclusively, or mainly, CD8+, and occasionally CD4+. They expressed CD5 in a variable way, and, for a minority, the Ki-67 nuclear proliferation Ag. On the pathogenic level, it may be suggested that a T clone, CD8+, undergoes the "homing" phenomenon within the epithelium, enters the cell cycle, then manifests a tropism towards the chorion, which it infiltrates. Despite some particularities, which may be clinical (serious mucous attacks), cytological (the "histiocytic" appearance of the nodule cells) or immunophenotypic (expression of CD8, similar to what is observed in man in a considerable number of Pagetoid reticulosis), CTCL constitutes an interesting model of spontaneous pathology, and could prove useful in: - identifying various etiological factors (given that the dog, as a close commensal of man, is subject to the same environmental factors).     

The Effect of Gradual Fluorination on the Properties of FnZnPc Thin Films and FnZnPc/C60 Bilayer Photovoltaic Cells

Motivated by the possibility of modifying energy levels of a molecule without substantially changing its band gap, the impact of gradual fluorination on the optical and structural properties of zinc phthalocyanine (F_nZnPc) thin films and the electronic characteristics of F_nZnPc/C₆₀ (n = 0, 4, 8, 16) bilayer cells is investigated. UV–vis measurements reveal similar Q‐ and B‐band absorption of F_nZnPc thin films with n = 0, 4, 8, whereas for F₁₆ZnPc a different absorption pattern is detected. A correlation between structure and electronic transport is deduced. For F₄ZnPc/C₆₀ cells, the enhanced long range order supports fill factors of 55% and an increase of the short circuit current density by 18%, compared to ZnPc/C₆₀. As a parameter being sensitive to the organic/organic interface energetics, the open circuit voltage is analyzed. An enhancement of this quantity by 27% and 50% is detected for F₄ZnPc‐ and F₈ZnPc‐based devices, respectively, and is attributed to an increase of the quasi‐Fermi level splitting at the donor/acceptor interface. In contrast, for F₁₆ZnPc/C₆₀ a decrease of the open circuit voltage is observed. Complementary photoelectron spectroscopy, external quantum efficiency, and photoluminescence measurements reveal a different working principle, which is ascribed to the particular energy level alignment at the interface of the photoactive materials.     

Radiology in primary hyperaldosteronism

Autonomous hypersecretion of aldosterone (primary hyperaldosteronism) is caused by either hyperplasia (usually bilateral) or an adenoma (frequently unilateral) of the adrenal cortex. Systemic hypertension due to an aldosteronoma is a potentially curable condition through surgical extirpation of the offending organ. In our experience with 37 patients clinically suspected to have primary hyperaldosteronism, radiological methods contributed significantly in preoperative diagnosis. These included (1) selective bilateral adrenal vein catheterization and blood sample collection, (2) adrenal venography, and (3) radioisotope adrenal scan. Unilateral hyperfunction could be accurately detected by the aldosterone assays from the collected samples. When adrenal venography was technically satisfactory, a nodule or aggregate of nodules measuring at least 7 mm and located on the margin of the gland or 1.5 cm or more in diameter when located in the center of the gland were readily identified. Enlarged adrenal gland on venography, in itself, was not a dependable index of a hyperfunctioning gland. Presence of a higher uptake on one side on the radioisotope adrenal scan did not always indicate the hyperfunctioning gland, but lack of lateralization of adrenal hyperfunction was more accurately predicted on the radioisotope scan than by venography. Four histopathological patterns were recognized in the surgically removed adrenal glands, but no correlation between these patterns and clinical behavior or postoperative course was found.     

A factor analytical method for the examination of aphasic disorders

According to calculations based on factor analysis a general, a sensory, and a motor speech factor were determined for 50 aphasic patients, 29 non-aphasic patients with an injured brain and 20 persons who had no brain injuries. The method of examination and the graduation for the quantification of speech disorders are presented and discussed.